BLACK BEAR HUNTING

Safaris North Outfitters Ltd. owns and operates several exclusive guiding areas in Northwestern Saskatchewan, comprising over a quarter million acres of northern forest intermingled with many lakes, rivers and ponds, much of which has never been penetrated by man.

Here the black bear with its many colour phases is the king of his domain. With no natural enemies he can attain weights of over 500 pounds. A check of the Boone and Crockett record book will indicate that your chances of a record book bear are as good or better here than anywhere in North America.

Approximately 25% of the bears are colours other than black, such as blonde, cinnamon or chocolate, perhaps the highest ratio in the world.

Although the average bear harvested is 250 - 300 pounds and will square 5.5 to 6 feet, we take bears over 400 pounds annually with our largest squaring 8.3 feet and weighing close to 600 pounds! Our northern bears are beautifully furred into early June, especially the mature boars.

Regular baiting begins early in the spring long before the hunters arrive. The blinds are mainly portable tree stands, but we have a number of ground blinds where the layout permits. Our ratio of active baits to hunters is at least 3 to 1.

Over over 30 years in business, we have maintained a 98% success rate. We cater to rifle and muzzleloader hunters and to a limited number of experienced bow hunters. Our key to consistently taking trophy animals is to harvest a very limited amount of bears out of each area, leaving a healthy population to reach maturity.

All of our bear hunts include 5 full days of hunting running Monday to Friday. Most of our clients arrive the preceding Saturday by air and drive to camp on Sunday, get settled in and sight in their weapons.

The closest airports are the Saskatoon or Edmonton International Airports. Driving times vary from 3 to 6 hours, depending on camp location. Pickup at the airport can be arranged each way. Many of our customers prefer to rent a vehicle so they can explore the surrounding areas at their own convenience. See MAPS LINK on how to get to our camps.

Our south camp is a clean, comfortable rural house 15 miles south west of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan and consists of comfortable sleeping facilities for up to 6. All meals are home-cooked and the exquisite cuisine is often the rave of the camp. Special diet arrangements can be made with us in advance.

Bear hunts are conducted the first 3 weeks of May in our south camp. For the next 3 weeks, we shift to our north camp, which is located near Buffalo Narrows about a 2.5 hour drive from our south camp. Here we have a scenic lakefront resort with private cabins, boats, motors and a large 8-man hot tub.

Some of our cabins are wheelchair accessible and we can cater to a limited number of handicapped hunters and fishermen.

Travel to the hunting areas from our camps are by 4X4, boat or ATVs.

Most of our bear hunting is done from 4:00 PM to dusk when the bears are the most active. We have an 8:00 AM breakfast and another full course meal at 3:00 PM before departing into the woods. Between meals you can fish (in season), hunt for sheds, go exploring, or laze around camp. A late night cold sandwich and pastry buffet is available.

The excitement and anticipation of sitting in a blind with only you and nature with its myriad of sights and sounds is an experience that will remain with you forever.

Hunt includes :

• 6 nights accomodation
• 5 days meals
• Guide service
• Incamp transportation
• Trophy preparation

Not included in Hunt :

• License fees (bear), $240 USD
• License fees (fishing), $78 USD
• Meals and accommodations outside camp
• Personal items, towels
• Alcoholic beverages
• Satellite phone costs of $2 USD per minute